March 3, 2021
Dozens of education groups urged Gov. Cuomo in a Tuesday letter to reverse a plan that would slash education aid to New York City by roughly $700 million — arguing the cut will force the city to dip into federal relief funds meant to help students recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Congress allocated $2.1 billion in its December relief package for education relief for the city’s public schools meant to help officials cover the cost of school reopening and additional academic and emotional support.
But the city Education Department will be forced to use a big chunk of those funds to offset the state cut to operating costs like school buses if Cuomo moves forward with his current executive budget.